Memento Mori: Remembering the Dead Among Us

The dearly departed live on in this eye-popping collection of ossuaries, burial caves, and death festivals from around the world.

1. The decorated skeleton of St. Munditia

The lavishly adorned skeleton of St. Munditia, an early Christian martyr.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Paul Koudounaris

2. The golden corpse of Dexiu in Taiwan

The golden corpse of Dexiu, a famed spirit medium known to channel indigenous Taiwanese gods. Her gilded remains are kept in a temple in Jilong, Taiwan.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Dr. Paul Koudounaris

3. An aristocrat’s charnel house in Lampa, Peru

An aristocrat’s elaborate charnel house in Lampa, Peru. Offerings are often left beside skulls in an attempt to communicate with the dead.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Dr. Paul Koudounaris

4. Memorial to those killed in the Rwandan genocide

A haunting memorial to the thousands killed in the Rwandan genocide in rural Ntarama, Rwanda.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Dr. Paul Koudounaris

5. Skulls arranged in the Opdas Cave of the Philippines

The Opdas Cave in the town of Kabayan is the most extensive display of human remains in the Philippines. It contains several hundred skulls between 500 and 1,000 years old.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Dr. Paul Koudounaris

6. Feast of the Little Pug-Nosed Ones

A dressed skull from the Festividad de las Ñatitas. Most commonly associated with La Paz, Bolivia and the surrounding countryside, the practice of keeping skulls crosses social strata to include people from all walks of life.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Dr. Paul Koudounaris

7. Feast of the Little Pug-Nosed Ones

Decorated skulls from the Festividad de las Ñatitas. Most commonly associated with La Paz, Bolivia and the surrounding countryside, the practice of keeping skulls crosses social strata to include people from all walks of life.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Dr. Paul Koudounaris

8. The Chauchilla necropolis of Peru

The preserved remains at the Chauchilla necropolis in Peru. The Nazca buried their dead here between 200 and 900 A.D. Bodies were placed in seated postures, and faced east, towards the rising sun.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Dr. Paul Koudounaris

9. The Chauchilla necropolis of Peru

The preserved remains at the Chauchilla necropolis in Peru. The Nazca buried their dead here between 200 and 900 A.D. Bodies were placed in seated postures, and faced east, towards the rising sun.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Dr. Paul Koudounaris

10. The tau tau statues of Sulawesi burial caves

A selection of tau tau statues from the burial caves in Sulawesi, Indonesia. These wooden effigies are often carved and placed within the cave as a reminder of the site’s spiritual residents.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Dr. Paul Koudounaris

11. The burial caves of Sulawesi

The burial caves of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Dr. Paul Koudounaris

12. The cave church of Ethiopia’s Yemrehanna Kristos

Remains blanket the ground of Ethiopia’s Yemrehanna Kristos cave church, established in the 11th century.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Dr. Paul Koudounaris

13. The Capuchin mummies of Italy’s Santa Maria della Concezione

The mummified remains of Capuchin monks, housed in Italy’s Santa Maria della Concezione. This extravagant charnel house was founded in 1631 and spreads out over a six-room crypt.

Photo courtesy of Thames & Hudson / Dr. Paul Koudounaris

14. The bejeweled skeleton of Austrian abbot

The remains of a local abbot decorated with jewels and placed on a church’s high altar in Mondsee, Austria.

Memento Mori: The Dead Among Us

The seasoned photographer’s previous releases include Heavenly Bodiesand Empire of Death, two visual collections of catacombs and Catholic relic sites in Europe.

In his newest tome, Koundounaris raises the morbid bar. Memento Mori: The Dead Among Uscaptures 250 ceremonial locations from 30 different countries stretched across four continents.

The fascinating collection serves up a stunning portrait of how human remains are used in devotional and decorative ceremonies throughout the world. High in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia, communities celebrate the good luck skulls kept in their homes with Festividad de las Ñatitas or the “Feast of the Little Pug-Nosed Ones.” The charmed remains are festooned with flowers, with unlit cigarettes wedged between teeth and Andean caps stretched over each cranium to protect the skulls from the sun and wind.

Meanwhile, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi one can enter massive burial caves, where the bones of the dearly departed are stacked and arranged for all to see. Some Indonesian households also maintain the tradition of living side-by-side with the mummified corpses of their deceased relatives. The bodies are dressed daily, and included in domestic routines.

Memento Mori provides a killer dose of macabre armchair tourism. It also offers a thought-provoking glimpse into the different ways cultures confront death. The big sleep may be taboo throughout the West, yet for much of the rest of the world, dying remains a highly visible aspect of day-to-day life.

Pull back the veil of various death sites across the globe in the slideshow above. Then crack open a copy of Memento Mori: The Dead Among Us for yourself, available now from Amazon and Thames & Hudson.